Apparatus for the manufacture of gas.



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W. Hx MUBGAN & J. DENSLEY. APFARATUS 'PoR THE MANUPACTURI: '0F (ms= APPLIOA-TION FILED MAB.. 8, 1909.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcEf WILLIAM IIENEY MOEGAN AND JAMES DENsLEY, 0E wEsToN-sUPEE-MAEE, ENGLAND, AssIeNoEs To WALLS LIMITED, 0E BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM HENRY MORGAN and JAMES DENSLEY, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vestonsuper-Hare, Somersetshire, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of gas for illuminating, heating and power purposes, and it resides, broadly speaking, in the production of an apparatus wherein the manufacture of coal, water or oil gas, or of mixtures of coal gas and water gas, or coal gas and oil gas can be effected in an extremely simplified and economic manner.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-'- Figure l is a view of the complete apparatus partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Figs. 3 to 6 are detail views of parts of the apparatus and modifications hereinafter particularly described.

As shown in said drawings, the apparatus consists essentially of a generator a, which may differ in no material respect from the generator of an ordinary gas plant, and one or more specially constructed chambers for containing the coal gas retorts, in combination with hydraulic mains cl d, and a special form of washer c, from which latter the gas produced passes off through the pipe f into an ordinary condenser and gas holder (not shown).

The retort-containing chambers, two of which are shown in series in the present instance, serve as combined carbureters and carbonizers, and are designated by the reference letters Z) and c. Each of these chambers is formed of a cylindrical metallic case g, having a fire-clay lining It, the interior of the chamber being divided into six or other number of inter-communicating compartments 7c by radial reticulated lire-brick walls z', the walls being omitted in Fig. l, but shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

In each compartment is arranged a vertical retort Z. These retorts have a slightly tapering form, being larger at their lower ends than at their upper ends, and they may be constructed in one piece, or in two or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1209.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Serial No. 482,070.

more sections joined end to end, as shown in Fig. 4c.

The reticulated walls z' are preferably built on radial tire-clay bars m, supported a short distance above the bottoms of the chambers Z) and c, I(see Fig. 5). Instead of employing these walls, the whole or nearly the whole space between the lining of each chamber and the retorts may be lled with a reticulated struct-ure of lire-bricks, or with' fire-clay balls. It has been thought unnecessary, however, to illustrate such constructions.

The chambers l) and c are provided with glazed peep holes a, so as to permit the in- .terior of said chambers to be examined or observed as to temperature when the apparatus is in operation. Provision is made for charging the chambers and the generator at their tops, and for emptying them at their bottoms.

For the production of oil gas, a spraying device is employed in connection with one or both of the chambers, the device being fitted in the axial openings 0, Fig. 2, formed in the chamber tops. The upper ends of the retorts Z communicate with the hydraulic mains d (l, through the medium of downwardly-curved pipes p whose lower ends dip into the liquid in the mains.

The washer e is supplied at its top with a water-sprayer r, and has the bottom portion thereof provided with three water tanks s, t, s, the water gas or oil gas being led into the central tank t through a pipe u, while the curved ends of the hydraulic mains convey the coal gas into the end tanks s, s. Each of t-he tanks is equipped with an overflow pipe having a liquid seal to prevent thc escape of gas.

In manufacturing coal gas, the generator charged with coke and the retorts with coal, in ,the usual manner, after which the generator is red and a blast of air admitted thereinto through the left-hand branch of the pipe yv, to bring the coke quickly to a state of incandescence, the valve w in said branch having previously been opened, as will be understood. The producer gas thus obtained passes through the pipe connections y, into the chambers Z) and c, respectively, in which it is fired by admixture with air, the heated air and products of combustion passing off from the chamber c through the pipe connection e to the stack 2, whence they escape to the atmosphere when the stack valve l is open. The combustion of the producer gas in the chambers and the passage of the heated air and products of combustion therethrough, as above described, has the effect of quickly raising the temperature in said chambers, and when the requisite degree of temperature has been reached the valve .w is closed, thereby shutting off the supply of air to the generator. Steam under pressure is then admitted into the generator and forced through the incandescent fuel so as to result in the production of water gas. This gas, on passing into the chambers Z) and c, will be ignited therein, or the ignition may be effected by the admission of the air blast through the two branches ofthe air pipe o, (the valves 4 and 5 in said branches having been previously opened), should it be ascertained from inspection that the interiors of said chambers have cooled down to too great an extent. In this manner, the carbonizing of the coal in t-he retorts Z is very quickly effected and the coal gas produced passes over to the hydraulic mains Z and from the said mains to the side tanks s of the Washer e, whence it passes by the pipe f to the condenser and gas holder.

The coke from the retorts Z at the end of the process may be transferred to the generator a when next charging the generator, and hence there is practically no waste of fuel. f Vhen it is desired to manufacture water gas alone, the retorts Z are not charged with coal and the water gas is not burned in the combined carbureting and carbonizing chambers, but is passed wholly therethrough and thence by the connection e to the pipe u, the valve l of the stack 2 being closed, so that the gas passes into the middle tank t of the washer e.

When it is desired to manufacture a mixture of coal gas and water gas, the manufacture of coal gas hereinbefore described is modified by shutting off the supply of air to the chambers b, c and by closing the stack valve l as soon as the said chambers have acquired the proper temperature for the carbonization of the coal in the retorts Z.

When oil or carbureted water gas is to be manufactured, either alone or as a mixture with coal gas, an oil spraying device is applied to the combined carbureter and carbonizer chambers b, c at the axial openings o in the tops of the said chambers b, c, and

when the said chambers have been raised to the required temperature for the destructive distillation of the liquid hydrocarbon to be used, the said liquid hydrocarbon is sprayed into the said chambers.

The proportion of' the mixture of coal gas and water gas or coal gas and carbureted water gas may be regulated by valves 6, 6, shown in Fig. 2.

By means of the apparatus hereinbefore described and represented, coal may be carbonized by the combustion of water gas produced in one and the same apparatus, the carbonization of the coal being effected much more rapidly and economicallythan by the systems at present in use; and as the coke from the coal gas retorts may be used in the generator in the subsequent working of the apparatus, a great saving of fuel may be effected.

Vhere a supply of steam for the water Y gas generator is not readily available, we mayxuse a combined water gas generator and boiler, the boiler being preferably arranged on the top of the generator.

Vhat is claimed is:

l. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, the combination of'a generator; a chamber communicating therewith; a series of vertical retorts arranged within the chamber; hydraulic mains with which said retorts communicate; a washer' communicating with the outlet ends of the mains; and a stack l0- cated between said chamber and washer and having separate communication with the same.

2. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, the combination of a generator; a series of connected chambers communicating therewith; an air-supply pipe having branch connections with said generator and said chambers; a series of retorts arranged within each chamber; a washer having a series of separate tanks; a stack located between the washer and the adjacent chamber and having separate connections with the latter and with one of said tanks; and hydraulic mains communicating with the Vretorts and-with the remaining tanks.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ZILLIAM HENRY MORGAN. JAMES DENSLEY.

Witnesses:

E. J. FUssELL, GEORGE T. PITCHER. 

